Cohiba Esplendido UAO JUN 19 (XNYRC)

[mt1]

The Esplendido was the cigar that started it all for me.  I don't smoke it often due to the cost but it has a lot of memories from my travels to Cuba and on special occasions.  I decided to revisit this from the Christmas sampler this year despite being very fresh.  Excuse my potato-quality picture, it was dark and I was about to climb into a hammock for a smoke so I wasn't too concerned with the photo.

For me, the Esplendido is what Cohiba is all about (that, and the Lancero/Coronas Especiales).  I've never been a huge fan of the Robusto and the Robusto still tastes different to me than the other Cohibas.  Despite its youth, this stick was quite fantastic (I may be biased).  It felt a bit tight but the draw was actually just fine.  It started a little spicy and peppery, which I think I would not have noticed if this hadn't been the first cigar that day.  It soon dipped me into the coffee notes with that unmistakable Cohiba honey flavor.  Some grassiness which was not unpleasant but not as pronounced in aged Esplendidos in my opinion.  I did find that the flavor stayed consistent throughout without much evolution--is this what you guys have been seeing in more recent Esplendidos?  Most of the time, I'll smoke my Esplendidos around the 3-5 year mark, or longer if I can wait or forget about a box.  I enjoyed the flavors all the way but it did get a little boring near the end.  Not much else to really say other than this was very enjoyable, 9/10 (10/10 is reserved for truly blowing me away).